Structural Assessment of Cyclone Hudhud in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

The very severe cyclone (VSC), Hudhud, in October 2014 was the strongest storm event to hit any Indian city. Starting as a tropical storm in the Bay of Bengal, VSC Hudhud demonstrated a unique climate phenomenon that resulted in a massive snow dump in Nepal (1,200 km away from the Bay). This paper reports the damage assessment outcomes of structures in Visakhapatnam (Vizag) of Andhra Pradesh, India. From 114 structures analyzed, the outcomes indicated unique wind damage distributions in Vizag. This paper provides firsthand evidence of a likely sustained wind force that carried its water contents further inland and a possible demonstration of a multihazard, multiregion effect of a single extreme cyclone.